Grammar rules: correcting common mistakes

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for B2 learners explores Grammar rules: correcting common mistakes through a real video. Across 9 interactive exercises, you'll develop listening comprehension, grammar, practical communication, speaking skills — all built around authentic English content.

What you'll practise:

• Grammar focus: Reported Speech with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for politely correcting someone
• Matching exercise to connect terms with their meanings
• Error correction to sharpen grammar awareness

Lesson activities (9 exercises)

Each exercise builds on the previous one. Work through them in order for the best learning experience.

1. Warm-up — Discussion questions to activate what you already know about the topic.
2. Watch — Watch the video and note the main arguments and examples.
3. Comprehension — Answer questions to check your understanding of the main ideas and supporting details.
4. Grammar — Study Reported Speech — explanation, examples, and key rules.
5. Error correction — Find and fix the mistake in each sentence — a great grammar workout.
6. Matching — Connect words, phrases, or concepts to their correct counterparts.
7. Multiple choice — Choose the correct answer from four options — testing comprehension and language use.
8. Practical English — Learn phrases for politely correcting someone — ready to use in real conversations.
9. Discussion — Reflect on the topic and share your opinions using the language you've learned.

Vocabulary

The vocabulary section introduces B2-level words and phrases related to the topic, with definitions and practical usage notes.

Grammar

This lesson focuses on Reported Speech.

Reported speech (or indirect speech) is used to talk about what someone else said in the past. It's essential for recounting conversations, like the interrogation in the video. When we use reported speech, we often change the verb tense ('backshift'), as well as pronouns and words related to time and place.

Examples from the lesson:

• Direct: The officer asked, "Are you aware of any Jews hiding in the area?" Reported: The officer asked if he was aware of any Jews hiding in the area. — When reporting a yes/no question, use 'if' or 'whether'. Notice the tense change from 'are' (present) to 'was' (past).
• Direct: The farmer said, "I assure you there haven't been any Jews in this village." Reported: The farmer assured him that there hadn't been any Jews in that village. — The present perfect ('haven't been') shifts back to the past perfect ('hadn't been'). Also, 'this village' becomes 'that village' to reflect the change in perspective.
• Direct: The officer said, "Don't kill me!" Reported: He begged the officer not to kill him. — To report commands or requests, we use a reporting verb (like 'tell', 'order', 'ask', 'beg') followed by the structure '(not) to + infinitive'.

Key rules:

• Verb tenses usually shift one step back into the past (e.g., present simple → past simple, past simple → past perfect).
• Pronouns and words for time/place must be changed to fit the context (e.g., 'I' → 'he/she', 'here' → 'there', 'yesterday' → 'the day before').
• When reporting questions, the word order changes from question form to statement form (e.g., 'Where are they?' → He asked where they were.).

Practical English

Politely Correcting Someone

The video shows a very aggressive (and funny) way to correct someone's grammar. In real life, however, correcting a colleague or friend requires tact and careful language. Here are some phrases to help you correct someone politely and effectively without causing offence.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "Sorry to jump in, but I think the figure you're looking for is actually..." — A gentle way to interrupt and offer a factual correction.
• "If I'm not mistaken, I believe the policy states that..." — Softens the correction by admitting you might be wrong yourself.
• "Just so we're all on the same page, did you mean [the correct information]?" — Frames the correction as a clarifying question.
• "That's a really common mix-up. In this context, we'd actually say..." — Shows empathy before correcting a language error or specific jargon.
• "Could I offer a slightly different take on that?" — Signals a correction of an idea or interpretation, not just a simple fact.